As a Spitfire fan I can shed a little light onto how things are going to play out based on how the Spitfires were treated. This looks very similar to their situation. Initially the league nailed the Spitfires with an absolutely stunning penalty of future draft picks and cash. 3 1st rounders, 2 second rounders and 400,000 in cold hard cash. After letting that sink in for a while, the league came back with an option that would give Windsor a first round pick back, space out the penalty picks to future years, and lower the fine to 250,000 dollars. Of course they would have to drop the appeal, admit guilt and never speak of it ever again. That is what Windsor ultimately did. There are absolutely zero details from the league or team about what the violations actually were, and we probably will never know for sure.

In my opinion the WHL is just following the OHL's lead here. They'll announce a massive initial penalty to scare Portland into quietly accepting a less harsh deal later on. I think the leagues are happy to lure the best talent in the world and take advantage of that when possible, but Portland and Windsor have been fed to the Wolves for the sake of giving the illusion of integrity. The CHL has always looked the other way on these things, the London Knights once hired a prospects dad as an assistant coach to get him to report after taking him with a late pick. These sorts of things have happened for years, with the league quietly looking the other way. It's no coincidence that Windsor and Portland are both organizations that can afford such a penalty, making it obvious to all why only they are persecuted when others clearly do the same and have for years. It's a sham, I feel for you Portland fans. Branch is a clown.